Neil Banfield Neil Banfield

WindowBlinds 6 Beta Feedback

WindowBlinds 6 Beta Feedback

Please post all feedback about the WindowBlinds 6 beta on this thread.

Note that the beta is for 32 bit XP and Vista systems only.  Please do not post about it not working on 64 bit XP/Vista.  Please continue to use WB 5.51 on those platforms.

This beta is for Object Desktop customers ONLY.  Standalone WindowBlinds 5 owners will not be able to activate this build.

Please note that you must have Stardock Central 2.46 Build 154 or later to install the WindowBlinds 6 betas. If you try and use older versions, it'll eventually timeout and give you an error about an invalid URL.

If you have problems with it running at all, please uninstall WB6, reboot and then try reinstalling WB6 again.

149,745 views 537 replies
Reply #276 Top
  • Backed up skins folder.
  • Archived 5.5... [via Stardock Central]
  • Set skin to 'Windows XP Style', using the WB Config window.
  • Unloaded Windowblinds, using the WB Config window. 
  • Uninstalled 5.5 [via Stardock Central]
  • Rebooted.
  • Installed WindowBlinds 6 (6.0 (beta build 21 x86)).
  • Rebooted.
  • Loaded WindowBlinds 6 (6.0 (beta build 21 x86)).
  • Applied 'Diamond' ...then 'Molten' ....
  • WOW! @ 'Molten' & 'Diamond' ..that Dragon animation is a bewdy! ...and Diamond is a very usable skin ...nice and unobtrusive.
  • Checked all other installed skins ....working fine.
  • Moved backed up skins back into the skins folder of WindowBlinds.
  • Tested as many as I could be bothered to ...all fine & working.

Loving this version of WindowBlinds ..still finding some very cool things.

Thankyou Stardock & WindowBlinds Dev's ...this is the best build so far, by a country mile!   

I don't know if this is a bug, or if Molten, by design or default, sets the background to plain brown when applied...

Did that for me, but changing background is a snap, anyway...

Reply #277 Top
My personal favorite skin XP Format by RJ Smith has font issues with the beta (textsize to big). With 5.5 everything was okay.

Deleted .wb4 files but no change. Text is still too big.
Reply #278 Top
My personal favorite skin XP Format by RJ Smith has font issues with the beta (textsize to big). With 5.5 everything was okay.

Deleted .wb4 files but no change. Text is still too big.


You should be able to go into WindowBlinds 6, click on 'Change Skin Fonts', then click to the left of 'normal' on the scale bar. That worked for me with a couple of skins. Or you can change the font to another one.
Reply #279 Top
I have an annoying problem with the Molten skin, basically every reboot it changes my desktop background to its default crap brown colour. I have to manually reset my background back again, highly annoying.


All WB skins have a background color set in them, when setting background color thru Windows display properties it will always revert to the color that is set in the skin you are using at start-up or after a reboot.

To save having to edit all skins you have, the best solution is to open MS Paint and make an image that is the color you want for you background, save as a jpg, set that as your wall and make sure, in Override default setting of WB config, that Apply the wallpaper include with skin is not checked.
Reply #280 Top
My personal favorite skin XP Format by RJ Smith has font issues with the beta (textsize to big). With 5.5 everything was okay.


From list of WB 6 improvements
[Refresh - Tweaks to system fonts]


XP Format uses fonts for classic widgets for system fonts, they are set at a height of 15, pre WB6 it should be set at -15, I believe that with 5.5 it was being displyed incorrectly as setting was not negative, so now with WB6 it is showing as the large size they are set at. Default I believe is 10.
Reply #281 Top
I just tried FileZilla here with the latest WB6 build on Vista and it does not crash when I right click.
What build of WB do you have installed? (see Wbconfig System Information page)


I'm using WindowBlinds 6 (6.0 (beta build 36 x86 - Vista Edition)).

Note that I was too hasty in proclaiming Photoshop CS3 crash free. It crashes too.

I think I have figured a way to make this repeat predictably.

Using filezilla select with RMB an item as if you are going to add it to the queue. Then, don't select an option, move your mouse off of the RMB window that popped up. If it doesn't crash the program then and there, it will the next time you try the same thing.

This is also repeatable in Photoshop CS3 if you hit the RMB over an image you have loaded to edit.

This is happening on an Nvidia Quadro 4000 and it has happened with 163.11 and 162.50 whql drivers. Diamond skin, vista 32.
Reply #282 Top
I am having no problems, but I am hoping that some kind of emulator could be written to work around the blurring /transparency issues in Vista Basic. I know it could be done if they just try hard enough
Reply #283 Top
@phendric ... I am trying to use one of the default walls, widescreen aura or whatever its called. I have tried setting it withing WB with no luck, it defaults to the brown again on reboot.

@erk. I understand that I can just go back in and change it as you say erk. but it is a pain to do so every reboot For now I am using another skin as Molten is too much hassle
Reply #284 Top
Where in SS6, when exploring 'Molten', do I go to see the preview of the dragon & fire animations and see how any values are set ?

I've gone through a couple of times and must keep missing it.

I see the animation strip files dragon.tga and fire.tga are recognised/listed in the selection box (in Edit Start Menu) along with all the other folder files.

Appreciate a pointer from anyone with fresher eyes. Thanks.
Reply #285 Top
@phendric ... I am trying to use one of the default walls, widescreen aura or whatever its called. I have tried setting it withing WB with no luck, it defaults to the brown again on reboot.

@erk. I understand that I can just go back in and change it as you say erk. but it is a pain to do so every reboot For now I am using another skin as Molten is too much hassle


BeLGaRaTh67, did you read my reply, #280, are you running a wide screen wall on standard monitor to have it centered, seeing background color above and below it. Molten is no more hassle than any other skin that has background color set different than what you want it to be. Open Molten in SKS and edit the background color to what you want and the issue goes away.
Reply #286 Top
Alternate Setting : SKS6 does not currently support the new start menu animations.  We will be putting in support.
Reply #287 Top
Curious if anyone else is seeing this.....
Since the last update all I get in the way of shellstyles if the basic blue not matter whether I have the override setting checked or not. I even changed it to "always use the shellstyle defined in...." and it won't take. It's happening on both my home system and my work system.

Home.....
WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6 (6.0 (beta build 21 x86))

WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC

WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC

Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.

(Plug and Play Monitor) 1 is attached to Radeon X1600 Series (Omega 3.8.291)

Wblind.dll 2007/08/07 11:43:20
Wbsrv.dll 2007/08/02 11:25:18
Wbconfig.exe 2007/08/02 11:25:47
Wbload.exe 2007/07/30 13:14:11
Wbhelp.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:07
Wbui.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:06
Tray.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:49

Edit:
After some testing.....if I load the Diamond skin it stills show basic blue, but once I reboot I get the Diamond Skin shellstyles. If I change skins I STILL get the Diamond Skin shellstyles so now I'll try a reboot to see if they change to the Mirage Shellstyles........

Edit2: All seems to have "fixed itself" after another reboot, it must be a result of installing PaintshopProXI since I did that to both computers today.
Reply #288 Top

Alternate Setting : SKS6 does not currently support the new start menu animations.  We will be putting in support.


appreciate speedy feedback Neil Overall, I'm still getting used to the new layout - but first impressions are good.
Reply #289 Top
With the WB6 beta build 027 it is impossible to use new master skin by JJ. Ying Xaphire. After some time using it, all windows GUI crashes.
Reply #290 Top

With the WB6 beta build 027 it is impossible to use new master skin by JJ. Ying Xaphire. After some time using it, all windows GUI crashes

 

Could you describe the experiencw ith more detail?

Reply #291 Top
Found a conflict........
Microsoft Money 2005 will not open while Windowblinds 6 is loaded. You see a quick flash of a very corrupt window then it disappears and is not listed in Task manager. Unload Windowblinds and it opens just fine.
Reply #292 Top
Lantec can you go to your event viewer and get a report as to where the conflict is or how it is reporting when wb6 is running?
Thats in administrative tools...

SGT  
Reply #293 Top
That's not a bug but a missing feature relative to wallpapers part:

Should it be possible to add the mane of walls showing in a tooltip when pointing each of those which are in gallerys ?
Reply #294 Top

With the WB6 beta build 027 it is impossible to use new master skin by JJ. Ying Xaphire. After some time using it, all windows GUI crashes



Could you describe the experiencw ith more detail?




yeah, certainly. For instance, after using Firefox browser for about half an hour it simply stops responding, and shortly almost all system (XP SP2) hangs. Viewing pictures in Windows Picture and Fax viewer strange error message "drawing..." or something like that after some time of viewing appeared and this program hanged also. Part of taskbar disappears, visual remnants of closed programs are seen on desktop and it is impossible to load any program from tray. The same or similar behavior with the end result that part of the programs stop responding repeated after several reboots. But all this only with saphire skin on wb6. All other skins are functioning very well for me.
I think my experience is similar to mentioned by some comments on saphire, namely comment no.41. WWW Link
Reply #295 Top
The exact same thing was happening to me Moletai, an uninstall and reinstall of WB6 seems to have fixed the problem for me. I've been using Xaphire since sometime yesterday and the problem hasn't re-occurred.
Reply #296 Top
I did as Tsumana said, uninstalled and reinstalled wb6 beta. But I don't think that problems (when using Xaphire)are gone, they still persist. Especially with firefox stopping to work and crash of windows explorer thereafter.

My info, in case it is needed:
WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6 (6.0 (beta build 21 x86))

WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC

WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC

Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.

(Default Monitor) 1 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 6800

Wblind.dll 2007/08/07 11:43:20
Wbsrv.dll 2007/08/02 11:25:18
Wbconfig.exe 2007/08/02 11:25:47
Wbload.exe 2007/07/30 13:14:11
Wbhelp.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:07
Wbui.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:06
Tray.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:49
Reply #297 Top

Screenshot of what is sometimes happening with Firefox+WB6 beta+Xaphire.
Reply #298 Top

BeLGaRaTh67, did you read my reply, #280, are you running a wide screen wall on standard monitor to have it centered, seeing background color above and below it. Molten is no more hassle than any other skin that has background color set different than what you want it to be. Open Molten in SKS and edit the background color to what you want and the issue goes away.


Sorry that does not work, I am using a WS wall on a WS monitor, it is the whole desktop that is shown in the same brown colour as the Molten skin on a reboot, the only way to get it back to the one I want as default is to change it again after rebooting, it only happens with the Molten Skin, nothing else, so as far as I am concerned it is a problem with that. I have used the Diamond and Leo ones with no problems with my default wall, just Molten as I say, I cannot make it any clearer than I have already said, it only happens with Molten

As mentioned, I like the skin, but am avoiding it until it is fixed.
Reply #299 Top
Hello everyone - maybe it's just me ... but seems I can't get the mouse over/focus color or the Hover color(wb3.x) in the programs or places list to work. Now this is strange... it will work in Vista ? But not with XP. Vista I found that you use a shade off with either places or programs and you get your hover and mouse over. Using exact colors for both and thats all you get... that one color. So tried it with XP and no results.
I think it is in WB not SKS where the problem is and gona do a roll back on my WB and see what happens.

SGT  
Reply #300 Top
Well no changes and it looks like I got an XP problem here and gona have a long weekend for a new install to fix this mess as usual...
Never fails - I get a bug or something from one of the servers at work on here and it kills me.
That and then I try to clean things up and ya away goes all kinds of stuff with the wash job too!
Tomorrows a long day for XP here... but it will be worth it I hope???

SGT